Behavioral finance

Financial planners who joined the Transparent Advisor Movement's first "Flat Fridays" meetup touched on the difficulty of explaining the industry to consumers.

A GAO report suggests that blanket rules on spousal consent for 401(k) withdrawals could solve "financial infidelity problems — and exacerbate them.

Behavioral finance expert Tim Maurer shares how planners can adjust their language and approach to help clients move toward their goals.

Most financial advisors and their clients are well aware of the in-progress great wealth transfer. But they also admit they're not ready for it.

New research shows visuals and gamified tools can dramatically boost client understanding and engagement around complex retirement rules.

The focus of retirement planning is shifting, according to Morningstar experts, moving away from simple saving toward bespoke decumulation strategies and guaranteed lifetime income solutions.

The tech can be smart and speedy, but also tone deaf when it comes to picking up the nuance of client conversations.

Wealthy parents fear their kids will squander their inheritances. Financial planner Mary Clements Evans solved for that while cementing her firm's future.

Red flags may abound, but so do arguments for an extended equities streak. Keeping clients on an even keel is crucial.

Thursday's Shaping Wealth Advisor Board webinar explored how advisors can sharpen the focus of their messaging and content to resonate with clients and prospects.

Financial advisors often urge clients to delay Social Security to maximize benefits, but new research suggests early claiming may be a rational choice for most households.

Overspending, liability risk and emotional strain. Clients who ignore advice can jeopardize their own finances and create real challenges for advisors. But a few key strategies can help limit the damage.

Retirement savers say they want investment choice, but confidence in navigating those decisions remains low, according to new T. Rowe Price research.

Researchers found that potentially traumatic childhood experiences, including physical abuse and parental separation, have lasting financial consequences, shaping workers' savings and retirement security decades later.

Advisors who reframed strategic decisions shifted investor perceptions of identical financial results, research shows; here's what that means for retirement planning.

With New Year's resolutions on the rise, financial advisors are using the seasonal focus on money goals to engage clients and spark action.

Financial therapist Rahkim Sabree wove his personal experiences into a detailed manual on a problem he and others say is often glossed over by the industry.

Middle-class Americans say paying off debt is their top financial priority. Financial advisors say a fixation on paying down debt can hurt in the long run.

The findings suggest that "crises, behavioral biases and interpersonal conflicts are not fringe topics but core aspects of modern advising," the authors of a study say.

The many technical planning questions may be moot until spouses can find common ground on money and wealth in general, CFP Board conference panelists said.